Republican says ‘deal can be had’ on healthcare as subsidies set to expire | US Senate
U.S. senator Bill Cassidy said Sunday that “there needs to be a deal” to combat the rising cost of health care, suggesting he remains optimistic about bipartisan cooperation on the issue despite the recent failure of two rival proposals in the Senate.
speaking on CBS Face the NationThe Louisiana Republican and Senate health committee chairman encouraged collaboration, saying “there needs to be a consensus between Democrats and members of his party.”
The Senate on Thursday rejected efforts by both Democrats and Republicans to reduce health care costs, underscoring a continuing divide over what to do about soon-to-expire tax credits that help millions of Americans buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Democrats have pushed for a three-year renewal of the enhanced tax credits. Meanwhile, the measure introduced by Cassidy, a physician, and his Republican colleague Mike Crapo centers around $1,000 government payments into the health spending accounts of people enrolled in bronze or catastrophic exchange plans, which typically have high deductibles. People ages 50 to 64 will receive another $500, and anyone who receives the money will have restrictions on using it for abortions or gender-affirming care.
Cassidy’s plan received no support from Democrats. But he argued that Democrats should also consider the burden of high deductibles in their approach, noting: “You have to put cash in the patient’s pocket to pay out of pocket.”
He continued: “I’m prepared to extend the premium tax credit on a short-term basis for people with higher premiums if they accept that we need to do something.”
“I think there’s a deal to be made here,” Cassidy added. “We need to push for this agreement.”
Cassidy said he is actively working to find a compromise that could appeal to both sides of the aisle. “Let’s address our concerns,” he said. “And then this Republican would be willing to do something on a short-term extension of premium tax credits if that’s necessary to get a deal to help those people with more expensive premiums — but also help everyone with tax relief.”
His remarks came as senators expressed hope that some kind of agreement could emerge after Thursday’s failed efforts. Several Republicans have signaled they are open to temporarily resuming enhanced tax credits with certain restrictions, noting that roughly 22 million Americans could lose the aid when the credits expire at the end of the month.
“We can handle this,” Cassidy said. “And I think we can address concerns about both out-of-pocket and premiums.”
